Cormac Ryan scored a career-high 31 points and No. 7 North Carolina withstood rallies from No. 9 Duke for an 84-79 road victory, clinching outright possession of the Atlantic Coast Conference championship Saturday night at Durham, N.C.
Ryan, who set the tone with early 3-point shooting, canned six long-range shots, including a clutch late-game dagger as the Tar Heels completed a regular-season sweep of their neighbors. Harrison Ingram, in his first game at Duke’s gym, provided 14 points and 10 rebounds for North Carolina (25-6, 17-3 ACC).
This was the 50th time these teams met with both holding a Top 10 ranking in the stored rivalry, and the Tar Heels have won 26 of those matchups.
Kyle Filipowski poured in 23 points, Jared McCain notched 19 points, Tyrese Proctor had 14 points and Jeremy Roach added 13 points for Duke (24-7, 15-5).
No. 1 Houston 76, No. 14 Kansas 46
Jamal Shead paired 13 points with eight assists to spearhead a dominating performance as the Cougars rolled to a home victory over the Jayhawks in both teams’ regular-season finale.
The Cougars (28-3, 15-3 Big 12) secured the outright Big 12 regular-season title by extending their winning streak to nine games while also claiming their 22nd consecutive home win. Houston led wire to wire in earning the top seed at next week’s conference tournament. Shead added six rebounds to his ledger while L.J. Cryer (11 points, four assists) and J’Wan Roberts (10 points, eight rebounds) contributed to the blowout.
Kevin McCullar Jr. logged 15 scoreless minutes in his return from a knee injury for the Jayhawks. He did not play in the second half. Hunter Dickinson had 11 points and six rebounds for Kansas before departing with a right shoulder injury midway through the second half. Coach Bill Self said afterward that Dickinson dislocated the shoulder.
No. 2 UConn 74, Providence 60
Alex Karaban had 16 points on four 3-pointers as the Huskies rolled over the host Friars in the Big East regular-season finale for each team.
The Huskies (28-3, 18-2) never looked back after an extended 33-5 run over 12:02 to finish the first half and set a Big East record for wins during the conference season. All five UConn starters scored in double figures, including Stephon Castle, who added 14 points.
Devin Carter had a game-high 24 points and 15 rebounds for Providence (19-12, 10-10). Josh Oduro added 13 points and 11 rebounds.
USC 78, No. 5 Arizona 65
Kobe Johnson scored 19 points and headlined a tenacious Southern California defense with six steals and the Trojans held the Wildcats to a season-low point total in a win in Los Angeles.
USC (14-17, 8-12 Pac-12) forced 18 turnovers while limiting Arizona to just 24-of-62 shooting from the floor (38.7 percent) on the night. Boogie Ellis had a quiet night offensively with just five points on 1-of-8 shooting but swiped three steals to contribute on defense. DJ Rodman matched Johnson with the game’s scoring high of 19 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
Keshad Johnson made four 3-pointers in the second half while trying to jump-start the Wildcats’ comeback effort. He finished with 17 points, matching Oumar Ballo for the team scoring high.
No. 8 Marquette 86, Xavier 80
Kam Jones scored a team-high 30 points while Oso Ighodaro added 24 to lift the Golden Eagles past the Musketeers in Cincinnati in the Big East regular-season finale for both teams.
In a game that featured 11 ties and 14 lead changes, Xavier (15-16, 9-11 Big East) took its final lead, 73-72, on a Dayvion McKnight fastbreak layup with 4:02 left in the game.
On the next possession, Marquette (23-8, 14-6) took the lead for good on a step-back 3 from Jones with 3:34 to go.
Texas Tech 78, No. 11 Baylor 68
Pop Isaacs scored 20 points and Darrion Williams chipped in 16 points and 11 rebounds to help the Red Raiders stun the visiting Bears in Lubbock, Texas, in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Down 54-53 with 7:25 left in the game, the Red Raiders went on a 14-2 run to regain control. They went 7-of-7 from the free-throw line in the final 2:35 to earn their fifth victory over a Top 25 opponent this season.
Isaacs led Texas Tech (22-9, 11-7 Big 12) in scoring despite dealing with foul trouble for most of the second half. Ja’Kobe Walter led the Bears (22-9, 11-7) with 15 points and went 3-of-7 from beyond the arc.
No. 13 Auburn 92, Georgia 78
Denver Jones matched his career high of seven 3-pointers and scored a season-best 21 points and Johni Broome added 14 points as the Tigers built momentum for next week’s SEC tournament with a victory over the visiting Bulldogs.
Jaylin Williams scored 13 points and Dylan Cardwell added 10 as Auburn (24-7, 13-5 SEC) wrapped up a No. 4 seed at next week’s conference showdown while earning a double bye. Chaney Johnson and Broome shared team-high assist honors with five each for the Tigers, who had 29 assists on 33 made baskets from the floor.
Silas Demary Jr. scored 15 points for Georgia (16-15, 6-12), which lost for the 10th time in 12 games. Russel Tchewa had 14 points with 10 rebounds and Noah Thomasson added 12 points for the Bulldogs.
No. 15 Kentucky 85, No. 4 Tennessee 81
Antonio Reeves and Reed Sheppard each scored 27 points as the Wildcats spoiled Senior Day for the Volunteers, building a 14-point second-half lead and holding on for the Southeastern Conference win in Knoxville.
Justin Edwards added 16 for the Wildcats (23-8, 13-5 SEC) and Rob Dillingham chipped in 11 points, including the clinching foul shot with five seconds left to snap Tennessee’s seven-game winning streak. Kentucky won its fifth straight game and avenged a 103-92 home loss to the Volunteers last month in Lexington.
Dalton Knecht starred in defeat for Tennessee (24-7, 14-4) with a game-high 40 points, canning six 3-pointers. Zakai Zeigler added 17 — including 14 in the second half — and nine assists.
Kansas State 65, No. 6 Iowa State 58
Arthur Kaluma scored 23 points to go along with seven rebounds and the Wildcats ended their regular season on a high note on Senior Day in Manhattan, Kan., denying the Cyclones a chance at a share of the Big 12 Championship.
The win gave the Wildcats, whose NCAA Tournament hopes had been fading, another important Quad 1 win ahead of Big 12 Tournament play next week in Kansas City.
Kansas State (18-13, 8-10 Big 12) also got 21 points and five rebounds from Cam Carter. David N’Guessan had a double-double with 11 points and 16 rebounds. Iowa State (24-7, 13-5) saw its four-game winning streak come to an end. Curtis Jones led the team in scoring with 16, while Keshon Gilbert and Tamin Lipsey chipped in 13 apiece.
No. 10 Creighton 69, Villanova 67
Trey Alexander hit a 12-foot step back shot with 0.2 seconds remaining and the Bluejays built a 24-point lead and held on to defeat the host Wildcats in Philadelphia.
Baylor Scheierman led Creighton (23-8, 14-6 Big East) with 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists while Alexander scored 17 points and Ryan Kalkbrenner had 14 points and two blocked shots. Creighton earned the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Big East tournament.
Eric Dixon led Villanova with 25 points and tied the game at 67 after being fouled on a 3-pointer and hitting three free throws with 23.6 seconds left. Justin Moore added 17 for the Wildcats (17-14, 10-10).
No. 16 Alabama 92, Arkansas 88 (OT)
Aaron Estrada struggled throughout but converted a tiebreaking layup with 2:03 remaining in overtime as the Crimson Tide outlasted the visiting Razorbacks in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Mark Sears led the Crimson Tide (21-10, 13-5 Southeastern Conference) with 22 points and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. added 20, including a 3-pointer that forged a 74-74 tie with 21 seconds left in regulation.
Khalif Battle led the Razorbacks (15-16, 6-12) with 22 points but shot 5 of 16. Makhi Mitchell added 18 and Mark finished with 13 as Arkansas shot 44.8 percent and missed 16 of 20 3-point attempts.
No. 17 South Carolina 93, Mississippi State 89 (OT)
B.J. Mack scored seven of his 25 points in overtime and the Gamecocks held off the Bulldogs in Starkville, Miss.
Collin Murray-Boyles added 19 points for South Carolina (25-6, 13-5 SEC). Josh Hubbard scored 28 points and Cameron Matthews had 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead Mississippi State (19-12, 8-10).
Mack made two free throws for a 91-88 lead with 10 seconds left in overtime, and the Gamecocks fouled D.J. Jeffries before he could attempt a 3-pointer. He made one of two free throws before Meechie Johnson made two to complete the scoring with five seconds left.
No. 20 BYU 85, Oklahoma State 71
Fousseyni Traore scored 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting to help the Cougars notch a victory over the Cowboys in Big 12 play at Provo, Utah.
Jaxson Robinson added 17 points and Spencer Johnson contributed 14 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Cougars (22-9, 10-8 Big 12). BYU led by as many as 25 points while winning for the eighth time in the past 12 games.
Javon Small established career highs of 34 points and five 3-pointers for Oklahoma State (12-19, 4-14), which lost its fifth consecutive contest. The Cowboys are just 1-9 in true road games.
No. 22 Utah State 87, New Mexico 85
Darius Brown II hit a late game-winning 3-pointer, lifting the Aggies to their first outright Mountain West Conference regular-season championship with a thrilling victory over the visiting Lobos in Logan, Utah.
Ian Martinez led the Aggies (26-5, 14-4 MWC) in scoring with 22 points, including a late monster dunk. Great Osobor added 21 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks, three assists and three steals, while Brown finished with 19 points, nine assists and three steals.
Mustapha Amzil paced the Lobos (22-9, 10-8) with 18 points off the bench. Donovan Dent contributed 17 points, Nelly Junior Joseph added 13 points with 10 rebounds, Jaelen House chipped in 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists and JT Toppin scored 14 in the loss.
Tulsa 76, No. 24 South Florida 70
PJ Haggerty’s career-high 32 points helped spark the Golden Hurricane’s second-half rally to knock off the Bulls, ending the nation’s longest active men’s basketball winning streak in Tulsa, Okla.
Cobe Williams added 23 points — going 5-for-6 on free-throw attempts in the final two minutes — as Tulsa (16-14, 7-11 American Athletic Conference) avenged a Feb. 14 loss to the Bulls. Williams also collected 11 rebounds.
South Florida (23-6, 16-2) had won 15 consecutive games and already clinched the AAC regular-season title, but this might have damaged its quest for an NCAA Tournament bid if it needs to gain entry via an at-large bid. The Bulls managed only 11 points during a 10-minute stretch as Tulsa burst into the lead.
–Field Level Media
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